It is fascinating to articulate something that family members who have been harmfully affected by the alcohol dependency of another family member plainly do not comprehend. It appears that by shielding the alcohol addicted individual with untruths and deceit to those outside the family, these well-intentioned family members have in reality created a circumstance that makes it easier for the alcohol addicted individual to continue and go forward with his or her harmful, destructive daily life.

Undeniably, rather than helping the alcohol addicted person and themselves, these family members have in reality become enablers who have involuntarily helped negatively affect the alcohol addicted person’s drinking problem even more.

Perhaps the real downside of this is that the alcohol dependent individual will continue drinking in an irresponsible and hazardous manner and suffer from a variety of “alcohol side effects.” Some of these side effects include serious financial problems, legal issues (such as getting arrested for one or more DWIs), ill health, deteriorating relationships, diminished mental functioning, and employment difficulties.

Relapses Can and Do Happen

According to the research findings and statistics on alcohol addiction, another key alcohol addiction issue has to do with alcohol relapses. Relapses take place when an alcohol dependent individual has successfully undergone alcohol dependency treatment and then returns to drinking a number of weeks or months later. At first glance, this predicament seems contradictory to commonsensical thinking and appears to be so far-fetched that it forces a person to question why anyone who has lived through the awfulness of alcohol dependency can return to drinking a short while after successful alcohol therapy and in turn after reaching recovery. There are, for sure, numerous conceivable reasons for this.

It should be highlighted, nonetheless that alcoholism research that has focused on the long standing consequences of alcohol addiction has demonstrated-proven that long after the alcohol addicted individual has terminated his or her drinking, fundamental transformations in the way in which the alcohol addicted person’s brain functions are still present. As a result, all a recovering alcoholic has to do to involve himself or herself in behaviors that correspond with the alterations that have come about in the brain is to engage in drinking again.

The Need for A Far Reaching Lifestyle Change

There are additional reasons why quite a few recovering alcohol dependent individuals return to drinking a few weeks or a few months after attaining sobriety. According to the alcohol dependency research literature, to make an effective recovery, the alcohol addicted person needs new ways of acting and thinking in order to deal more effectively with demanding alcohol-related circumstances that will take place.

Circumstances such as returning to the same alcohol addictive environment or to the same geographic location; interacting once again with friends from the time when the alcoholic was drinking excessively; or familiar songs, smells, or activities—all of these circumstances can bring forth memories that can set off psychological tension or push hot buttons that influence the recovering alcoholic to engage in excessive drinking once again. Regrettably, all of these circumstances may not only work against long lasting alcohol recovery for the alcohol addicted individual but they can also lead to relapse and therefore go against one’s sobriety.

The Good News: There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel

In an attempt to “protect” the family alcohol addicted individual, family members can actually cause unintentional damage by enabling the harmful drinking behavior of the alcohol addicted individual.

The alcohol abuse research literature validates the fact that most people who effectively complete alcohol rehab go through at least one relapse. Alcohol addicted individuals and their family members need to know this so that they do not get crestfallen or beleaguered when a relapse manifests itself.

Luckily, participation in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and follow-up rehab and training have resulted in more productive, long standing alcohol abuse and alcoholism treatment outcomes, have helped reduce alcohol relapses, and have helped recovering alcohol dependent individuals reach long lasting sobriety.

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